Utsuro no Hako:Volume2 Author's Notes

Good day, I'm Eiji Mikage.
I'm very sorry for the long wait since the first book. I actually wanted to get the continuation out as soon as possible since it wasn't clear whether the story would continue from the contents of the first one... Honestly, I don't even know the reason for this long delay myself.

Well then, «Eiji Mikage» is naturally a penname. I'm asked about the origin of this penname from time to time, but since there's no real reason to it, I have always had troubles answering this question.
But even if there's no reason to it, it has become my penname.

Utsuro no Hako:Volume2 May 18 (ch8)

Utsuro no Hako:Volume2 May 18

While crumpling up a package of beef tongue flavored Umaibous, I looked around in the classroom. My classmates weren't minding me anymore in particular. They only seem a little nervous because of the midterm tests that start tomorrow.
"Ya, Kazu-kun!"
"Ouch"
Kokone chopped on my head while greeting me.
"......Morning."
"You know, I was actually only strolling. In Shibuya."
"Hah?"

Utsuro no Hako:Volume2 May 5 (ch7)

Utsuro no Hako:Volume2 May 5

May 05 (Tuesday) 02:10

I'm dreaming.
I'm dreaming the same dream again.


I toyed with the rabbit plush, missing an ear, in front of the corpses. I plunged my index finger into the torn seam and widened the hole.
I put my fingers into the head and moved them around. The shape of the rabbit's head changed. The touch of cotton feels good. Back and forth, up and down. The eyeball came unstuck. Cotton fell out of its torn face.

Utsuro no Hako:Volume2 May 4 (ch6)

Utsuro no Hako:Volume2 May 4

May 04 (Monday) 07:49

I noticed that I had been restrained by hand- and footcuffs and was lying on a futon on the ground. But I couldn't think properly yet, still dazed.
I was inside anguish I didn't know whether it's reality or dream.
The feeling was like that of sinking into a bottomless swamp.
I struggle and struggle to no avail, sink deeper and deeper, and in the end forget for what sake I struggle. I even become unable to struggle. I just sink deeper into the mud. My body gets filled with mud. I become mud myself. My inside and my outside, both become only mud. Therefore, lose sight of my contours since they're painted out.
I cannot see myself anymore.

Utsuro no Hako:Volume2 May 3 (ch5)

Utsuro no Hako:Volume2 May 3

May 03 (Sunday) 07:12

I woke up. It wasn't the sensation of switching, but the normal sensation of awakening.
I was lying on the ground of Miyazawa's room with cuffs applied to both my hands and feet.
Miyazawa-kun was sitting on the bed. Dark circles were under his eyes. Maybe he hadn't slept properly in the last few days.
When he had noticed that I had awoken, he took out a washcloth and wiped my face. The menthol in the washcloth wiped away my sleepiness.
"I'll instruct you now."
Having finished wiping my face, he said so without greeting me.
"You will restrain Otonashi by handcuffing and footcuffing her and demonstrate your will of betrayal by doing so. You just need to do that. Simple, isn't it?"
"...really?"

Utsuro no Hako:Volume2 May 2 (ch4)

Utsuro no Hako:Volume2 May 2

May 02 (Saturday) 00:11

I woke up due to a rumbling sound on the desk.
I got up from the bed, took the mobile phone, which was the origin of that sound, in my hands and looked at the LCD screen.
«Maria Otonashi»
Maria Otonashi? Why does she phone me? She calls me even in this state of affairs, so does this mean that «Kazuki Hoshino» hasn't told her what is happening to him? ...no, I guess he couldn't tell his lover this absurd story about the 'box'. But I think she should notice his change, even when he hasn't told her... whatever.

Utsuro no Hako:Volume2 May 1 (ch3)

Utsuro no Hako:Volume2 May 1

May 1 (Friday) 08:14

Kokone ignored my nonchalant "Good morning".
Though she usually drops in arbitrarily into my conversations, today she was strangely distant and talked to other classmates instead. But despite this, she sneaked peeks at me from time to time, with a slightly scary face.
I don't know what her reason was. I have no idea why she suddenly started acting like this. Since I wasn't in the mood to happily chat with my other friends with this state of things, I tried to appear unapproachable by eating a cheese-flavored Umaibou.
"Did you do anything to Kiri?"